


The Best Stories

by bluesuedeshoes



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, family!fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-04
Updated: 2014-06-04
Packaged: 2018-02-03 08:31:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1738061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluesuedeshoes/pseuds/bluesuedeshoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity tells a tall tale.  prompt from Christine Colvin: "I would love an Olicity story that is reminiscent of Beauty & the Beast with Felicity as the 'Beast.' "</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Stories

**Author's Note:**

> I finished the first draft of my novel! WOO! And I am celebrating by giving myself a break to write some oneshots/drabbles. Please feel free to send me a short prompt for Olicity or another pairing if you like. :)
> 
> Christine's prompt: I would love an Olicity story that is reminiscent of Beauty & the Beast with Felicity as the "Beast." Not sure if this is what you were expecting, Christine, but it was what came to mind first.

"Once Upon a Time," Felicity began, straightening her glasses on her face, "there was a princess." She smirked. "Well, actually, the princess was really a boy. He was extremely wealthy and very clever and many women and men thought they were in love with him because he was so handsome and charming. But he dreamed of something _more_. He didn't want to be with just anyone. He wanted someone who saw him for more than just how he looked or how rich he was. He wanted to have great adventures and he hoped that maybe someday he would meet someone who could share those adventures.

"Then one day, he met a fearsome Beast." Flashes of a first meeting in the QI office, of swivel chairs and terrible cover stories and a gentle smile flashed through Felicity's mind, and she grinned, recalling her own foolish babbling. "The Beast was actually very brilliant, and she was only a monster because she was all alone. She didn't know how to be around other people very well because of her job. She often repulsed—do you know what 'repulse' means? Okay, good—she repulsed people with her terrible social skills, saying exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong moment, and always putting her foot in her mouth. She talked way too much and to the young man's amazement, she didn't hesitate to say exactly what she was thinking, even when it was a little bit… _blunt_.

"Something special happened that day because the handsome man did something he hadn't done in a very long time: he smiled. He hadn't realized just how long it had been since someone had made him smile, but the Beast's terrible manners and brutal honesty was refreshing because he'd become so accustomed to people patronizing him—What? Oh, that means talking down to—and trying to say what they thought he wanted to hear.

"So when the man met the Beast, he smiled, and the Beast was very surprised, because he was so beautiful, and she didn't think anyone as handsome as her could ever want to talk to someone like her. But he did.

"So the Beautiful Man and the Beast became friends, and they made each other smile when there was very little to smile about, and they had lots of adventures together and slowly, the Beast began to fall in love with the Beautiful Man, which made her very sad. …why? Well, because it never occurred to her that he could ever love someone like her in return.

"But what the Beast didn't realize was that from the first day they had met, the handsome young man had never thought of her as a monster, but as someone kind and honest and smart. And he thought she was wonderful—What? Yes, even though she always said the wrong thing at the wrong time." She smiled kindly, her eyes full of affection. "And one day, when they both admitted to the other that they loved each other, it was like a terrible curse had been broken on both of them. The handsome man had found someone who loved him for who he really was, not just what everyone else saw in him. And the Beast realized that she really was beautiful when seen through the right person's eyes. And they lived happily ever after with lots of smiles and babbling and adventures. The End."

She folded her hands in her lap and looked expectant.

Four-year-old Connor Queen looked at Felicity very solemnly. "Mom. You tell the _worst_ stories."

Felicity gasped indignantly, reaching out and tickling the little boy in the superhero pajamas until he squealed and squirmed. "You were the one who wanted me to!" she laughed.

"I can't help it! Dad's even worse! He can't make up stories at _all!_ " Connor insisted. "At least you remember to say 'Once Upon a Time' and 'Happily Ever After!' But I thought the Beast was supposed to be the boy and the Beauty was supposed to be a pretty girl," he added thoughtfully.

"It doesn't all ways work like that," Felicity said, her eyebrows raised to show Connor her 'serious face.' "Sometimes, in real life, there are things on the surface in both boys and girls that make them not seem very beautiful at first. But when you get to know them, you realize that they have been beautiful all along."

"Even if they don't look like it? Or act like it right away?"

She nodded, and Connor pursed his lips thoughtfully, mulling this information over.

He shrugged. "All right, I guess it wasn't such a bad story. But you better think about tomorrow's story early."

She grinned, rolling her eyes. "That so, huh? Good night, you little twerp," she said, leaning over and kissing him on the forehead. "Go to sleep, now, okay? No getting in trouble after the lights are out."

Connor sighed stubbornly. "Night, mom," he planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "Night, Dad!" he added in the direction of the doorway. Felicity froze, cringing before turning to look over her shoulder at a deeply amused Oliver Queen, leaning in the doorway of their son's bedroom with his arms folded, obviously having been there for some time.

"Night, Connor. Listen to your mom. Stay in bed."

Another frustrated sigh as Felicity switched out the lights and headed out the door, blushing furiously. She closed it softly behind her then crept down the hall slightly with Oliver. "How long were you listening to that?" she demanded in a whisper.

Oliver snorted. "You called me a 'princess,'" he accused, laughter twinkling in his eyes.

"Ugh, never again. You can tell tomorrow's story," she huffed.

"Aw, I like your stories. Although I should add, for the record," he slipped his hands around her waist, "there is _nothing_ beastly about you," he bumped noses with her and she grinned, embarrassment slipping away. "Anyway, you heard the kid. My stories are _terrible_."

" _Tell_ me about," Felicity rolled her eyes, smirking. "'My coffee shop is in a bad neighborhood.' Honestly."

"Are you ever gonna let me live that one down?"

"Nope.  And I'm never letting you live down 'running out of sports bottles' either."

Down the hall, on cue, the bedroom door slowly creaked open.

"BACK TO BED, CONNOR!" Oliver and Felicity said at the same time.

The door snapped shut and they resisted an urge to laugh at the sound of small feet scurrying back to bed.


End file.
